FOREST MP Mark Harper grilled the Highways Agency yesterday (Tuesday) over proposed plans to close the A40 for 16 weeks without consulting road users.

Mr Harper said he was assured in September by the agency that a public consultation meeting would be held before any plans were finalised.

He said: "Any disruption to the A40 will have a significant impact on my constituents, and I therefore wanted to raise a number of concerns with the Highways Agency on their behalf.

"I was able to raise these issues with the regional director, and he has committed to responding to my concerns by the end of the week. I will keep my constituents informed about progress on this."

Skanska – who are working on behalf of the Highways Agency – plan to close the road at Huntley on January 5.

A Highways Agency spokesperson said: "We will be starting work early in the new year to improve drainage along the A40 near Gloucester. We're committed to carrying out the work in the best way possible and will announce full details about the work very soon."

In a letter to residents, Skanska said they would be fitting "larger drainage pipes to increase the capacity and reduce the flooding risk to nearby homes. During the initial stages of the works, the road will be under signals, which will allow traffic to pass through the village.

"Due to the type of work taking place and to ensure the safety of public and our workforce, it will be necessary to close the A40 through Huntley to traffic between Solomon's Tump Road and Newent Lane. Access will remain open to emergency services and residents and customers will have continued access to local businesses."

Although it's feared traffic on the A40 will be diverted through Cinderford towards the A48 – posing the risk of severe delays. The A40 will close between 8am-5.30pm (Monday-Friday) and 8am-1pm (Saturday).

Nathan Griffith-Williams, marketing manager for Stagecoach West said: "We are currently planning a diversionary route but what we can advise at this stage is that Stagecoach buses will be allowed to operate as normal throughout January and will not be on diversion until February. We are discussing the alternative plan to serve customers with Gloucestershire County Council."

An information day on the works will be held today (Wednesday) at The Red Lion at Huntley between 2pm and 8pm.